“I’ll have Mulgrave prepare one of the reception rooms for your use. If you need me at any time, I’m usually somewhere around.”
The games room was on the opposite side of the house from the dining room, so we walked back through the large entrance hall and down a long corridor.
“Shoo, Harold! You know you shouldn’t be in here.” Mulgrave pushed the large ginger cat off the billiard table. “The goblet was kept on the shelf over there.”
I walked around the billiard table to take a closer look. “Caro—err—Lady Tweaking told me that this room isn’t usually locked?”
“That’s correct, madam. I’m not sure anyone even knows where the key is.”
“And the goblet? Has it always been kept in here?”
“Yes, at least for as long as I’ve worked here.”
“Apart from yourself and Mrs Jones, does Lady Tweaking employ any other domestic staff?”
“No, madam. The family used to, some years ago, but her ladyship had to let them go. Nowadays, she uses an external cleaning company who come in every few weeks, but they only clean certain rooms: The dining room, this room and a couple of the bedrooms. And, of course, the kitchen.”
“Is this games room used often?”
“Not really. When his lordship was alive, he used to enjoy a game of billiards. These days, though, it’s only used when the family visits.”
“As on the night of the birthday dinner?”
“That’s right, madam.”
“Do you know who was in this room that night?”
“I couldn’t say for sure, but I believe Mr Ransom and Mr Dominic were playing billiards.”
“Mr Ransom?”
“Her ladyship’s brother. Mr Dominic is her son.”
“Did anyone else join them?”
“As I said, I can’t be sure, but I don’t think so.”
I walked over to the two large windows which, judging by the thickness of the paint on the frames, hadn’t been opened for a very long time.
“Apart from these windows, I assume the door we came through is the only way in and out of this room?”
“Actually, madam, there is one other way.”
“Oh?” I glanced around, but I could see no sign of another door. “Where’s that?”
Mulgrave walked over to one corner of the room where a large bookcase was standing. He pulled on one of the books on the top shelf, and the whole bookcase slid to one side, to reveal a rather dimly lit passageway.
“Please follow me, madam. Be very careful because it’s quite dark in here, and the floor is rather uneven.”
He wasn’t kidding. I could barely see my hand in front of me, but I just about managed to follow him along the passageway.
“Are there other secret passageways in the house, Mulgrave?”
“A few, yes, but most of them are sealed off now. This is the only one that’s still used regularly.”
After we’d been walking for a few minutes, we came to what appeared to be a dead end. I expected him to turn around, but instead, he touched one of the stones, and the wall in front of us slid to one side. To my surprise, I found myself back in the dining room with Caroline.
“I see Mulgrave has shown you the secret passage.”
“He tells me this is the only one still in regular use.”
“Yes, mainly by the menfolk who like to sneak away for a game of billiards when they think no one will notice.”
“What about the other passageways?”
“Sealed off or forgotten.”
“Forgotten?”
“So the rumours go. According to legend there are ten secret passageways in this house, but we know of only nine: the one you have just walked through and eight others which have been sealed off.”
“And the other one? The tenth?”
“It may or may not even exist. My guess would be that it doesn’t.”
Mulgrave gave me a tour of the rest of the house, but there wasn’t a great deal to see. Most of the rooms were sealed off or empty. It was clear that Caroline now occupied only a small fraction of the house.
“For how long has so much of the building been sealed off, Mulgrave?”
“Only for the last few years. Before that, most of the house was in regular use. Lady Tweaking and his Lordship used to host regular gatherings here. The house was always full of life in those days.”
As I drove to Washbridge, I reflected on the sorry state of Tweaking Manor, and I couldn’t help but wonder what had led to such a rapid decline in the family’s fortunes. I would need to carry out some research into the Tweaking family, to see what I could learn about their current financial problems, and whether that might have any bearing on the disappearance of the goblet.
***
Back at the office building, I could hear sounds coming from down the corridor. Our new neighbours must be in the process of moving in. Whoever they were, it couldn’t be any worse than having a clown school on your doorstep.
More famous last words.
“Good morning, Mrs V.”
“Morning, Jill.”
“Any messages?”
“None so far. It’s been very quiet, but I have found out the name of the business that’s moving in down the corridor. It’s called Bubbles.”
“How do you know?”
“I saw two men carrying the sign upstairs.”
“Bubbles? I suppose it could be one of those places that sell fancy soap.”
“Surely they would need a shopfront.”
“You’re right. What else could Bubbles be, I wonder?”
“I’ve no idea. Intriguing, isn’t it, Jill?”
“Very. Keep your eyes peeled and let me know when you find out more.”
When I walked through to my office, Winky was deep in conversation with another cat. Neither of them appeared to have noticed me, so I went online to search for more information on the Tweaking family. The most recent articles were
